Various types of cutter bit devices have been provided in the prior art for use in construction and mining. A particularly successful bit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,2012,421 to Den Besten. In certain applications, such devices are subject to axial forces which can cause a bit to disengage from the block it is housed within. Various prior art proposals have utilized keepers, to retain the bit within the sleeve during cutting operations. U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,638 to Den Besten, applicant of the subject patent application, discloses a keeper 26 which passes through vertical slot 24 in the stem 16 of the bit 10 in order to retain the bit in the sleeve. However, the problems with such prior art proposals is that during the operation, particularly at high RPM, such keepers on occasion would fail, disengage or disintegrate.
It is therefore desirable and beneficial for a bit to be able to axially move within the sleeve during operations while being retained therein.